To achieve the objective of serving the user (and thus improving a website in the eyes of Google), SEO marketing experts are able to apply some best practices for search engine marketing. These tried-and-true SEO marketing tactics help organizations improve their visibility and ranking within the major search engines.
Two focal categories of SEO marketing tactics are on-page SEO and off-page SEO:
On-page SEO marketing tactics
On-page (or on-site) SEO refers to the optimization of websites and pages to improve their search engine rankings. These are the elements over which organizations have a high degree of control, making on-page SEO a good starting point for optimization tactics.
Important aspects of on-page SEO include:
- Content: SEO marketing is highly dependent on consistently producing quality content (text, audio, and video). Content must be useful, satisfying user needs by supplying information or answering a question.
- Keywords: Keywords are the topics that form the basis of search queries. SEO marketers conduct keyword research to isolate popular—but competitively balanced—search terms.
- HTML: The way HTML pages are described, tagged, and labeled indicates a level of quality to search engines. SEO tactics involved optimizing HTML elements to label and organize digital content.
- Architecture: The behind-the-scenes elements of page architecture can have a significant impact on SEO. Site and page architecture must be secure, efficient, and accessible across multiple devices.
You may also be interested in: How AI is changing the SEO game
Off-page SEO marketing tactics
Compared to on-page SEO, off-page SEO refers to the elements that SEO marketers have less control over; essentially, the reputation and popularity of a given website or webpage online.
Important aspects of off-page SEO include:
- Links: Both external and internal links to an organization’s digital content are an important part of SEO marketing.
- External links: High-quality links from reputable destinations elsewhere online demonstrate the credibility and usefulness of the content.
- Internal links: Links from one page of a website to another demonstrate organization and cohesion on the site.
- Authority: Building authority or trustworthiness of a particular website over time involves employing transparent SEO practices and building a credible reputation online.
- Geography: Geography factors heavily into the ranking of search results for a specific user in a specific location. Search engines prioritize local results for many types of queries.
- Social: A solid social media presence can help boost SEO marketing efforts. Search engines analyze how users share an organization’s content in terms of both quality and quantity metrics.
How to boost SEO marketing results
Your SEO strategy should focus on improving the user experience and incorporate both on-page and off-page SEO tactics. With this in mind, quality on-site content should always be your starting point. You can create the most technically-optimized page, but it’s not much good without excellent content to drive traffic, keep traffic, and build links.
To help you get started, here is an SEO best practice checklist:
CONTENT
- Create superior quality content that provides value to the end-user
- Match your digital content with the desired intent of a targeted user
- Continuously create fresh, new content that is timely and relevant
- Refresh older content with new statistics or updated links
- Ensure that your site doesn’t contain any duplicate content
HTML
- Include your target keywords in title tags
- Title tags should include an enticing reason for someone to click on the link in the search results
- Use meta descriptions (fewer than 160 characters) to describe the page content, including target keywords
- Use the meta description to convince a user to click through to the content
- Include the target keyword in a page’s URL
- Indicate the site hierarchy in the URL. e.g., https://brightermessaging.com/business-services/website-development/ (main domain, parent topic, sub-topic)
- Alt text should be used to describe all images and include target keywords
- Divide content into digestible pieces and label each one with an appropriate heading (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
ARCHITECTURE
- Create an organized site map of all pages to help search engines crawl your site efficiently and index your digital content appropriately
- Ensure that your website and pages have a fast loading speed to prevent a negative user experience, particularly on mobile devices
- Make sure that your site is optimized for a fast, streamlined mobile experience
- Secure your website using HTTPS and SSL certificates to gain credibility
LINKS
- Create high-quality content that other sites will want to reference
- Make sure that you have a logical internal linking structure
- Brainstorm ways to get high-quality sites to link back to yours
AUTHORITY
- Lower your bounce rate by improving your content, loading times, and user experience
- Maintain an active SEO strategy by continually updating your website and adding content to improve authority on important topics over time
GEOGRAPHY
- If you operate in multiple countries, consider establishing SEO marketing strategies for each country
- If appropriate, align your website to specific geographic areas (local, national, or international)
SOCIAL
- Establish a solid foundation in social media networks to drive the quantity and quality of digital content shares
- Create high-quality content
- Post regularly
- Aim to amplify the quality and quantity of social shares
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Ready to get started?
We’ve created a FREE eBook: 5 Things Your Small Business Can Do Right Now to Improve SEO focused on five actionable things that you can do right now to start improving your website authority and ranking, even with limited knowledge and expertise. The book also includes an additional checklist to keep you on track and manage your progress.
When it comes to SEO, we avoid overnight tricks or quick-win hacks that only come back to hurt your rankings over time. By building trustworthy and authoritative digital assets, employing on-page and off-page SEO techniques, creating high-value content, optimizing pages, and building quality links, you too can start to build and measure your organic presence.
Brighter Messaging’s team uses SEO marketing tactics to help businesses build a long-term, consistent stream of organic traffic. Contact us to learn more about our SEO services.
